#viverridae

Another donation drawing--this one's the binturong!! I love all viverrids, so this one was extra fun for me. :3c

Crocodile cats are feliform carnivorans with a roughly cat-like build that reach sizes between 60 and 80 centimeters (plus 60 to 70 centimeters tail) and primarily hunt as ambush predators near water sources. 

While their precise classification within the family is unclear due to the lack of data, they are generally agreed to be viverrids, likely closely related to binturongs. Most viverrids are primitive, nonspecialized feliform, this is not the case for the crocodile cat. Their current scientific name is artictis odibilis (lit. ‘hateful bear-weasel’). Further colloquial names include ‘dropcat’, ‘African wolverine’, and ‘stink lion’. 

Their fur is coarse and dense, with a desaturated, dark ochre colorization and the for viverrids typical cryptic pattern, although it is less visible due to their dark base colorization. Crocodile cats have very large, curved, retractable claws that are equally useful for climbing and tearing flesh. Unlike most viverrids, crocodile cats are slow and heavyweight, reaching almost twice the weight of the similarly sized binturongs. 

Like many feliform carnivorans (e.g. hyenas, or the more closely related African civet), crocodile cats possess an exceptionally strong bite fit to crush bones. 

Crocodile cats employ a very specific hunting style: 

They seek out trees near lakes and rivers, and perch on overhanging branches. Once in place, they can remain in position for days on end. Their fur provides excellent camouflage, and makes them almost invisible. When prey passes beneath the branch, the crocodile cat drops down on them. With the aerial mobility typical for cats, they always land claws-first. 

The force of the impact immobilizes or at least startles the prey, and the cat then clings to the prey with its immense claws. Smaller prey - which means prey smaller than an adult wildebeest - has little way to escape; it either bleeds out through the wounds caused by the crocodile cat’s claws, or is paralyzed through targeted bites to its neck. Larger prey - reaching up to adult buffalos and, rarely, even hippos - is unlikely to die quickly. Instead, until shaken off, the crocodile cat will tear pieces of flesh from the prey’s back and eat them. 

Even when shaken off, the crocodile cat is a resilient and dangerous predator. Since it is not fast enough to escape from an agitated animal thrice its size, the crocodile cat will use its claws to cut the tendons on attackers’ legs to cripple them. 

While this strategy works excellently against isolated targets with limited intelligence, groups and animals with a higher intelligence - elephants, for example - pose an almost insurmountable danger to crocodile cats. When no other escape route is available, crocodile cats have been observed to dive into the water to escape. They are no particularly good swimmers, so a sudden dive into murky waters is primarily a way to improve their camouflage.

Crocodile cats are solitary, and mark their large territories using their perineal glands. They lack the erectile dorsal crest other viverrids use in their threat displays; crocodile cats indeed do not seem to engage in any threat displays at all. 

Intra-specious encounters are usually short and non-violent, as crocodile cats tend to avoid violent confrontations unless they are very certain they will win, and fights are otherwise likely to leave both parties severely injured. 

Other predator species rarely seek out direct confrontations with crocodile cats for the same reason. Their only natural predators are, ironically, crocodiles. Where the crocodile cats’ habitat overlaps with that of hyenas, the latter are occasionally observed driving potential prey towards trees on which the former is waiting, and then waiting until the crocodile cat has killed the prey and eaten its fill. Roughly fifteen humans are killed by crocodile cats each year, although such incidents may be underreported as crocodile cats usually only attack humans that are alone, and their attacks on isolated targets almost always end deadly.

Binturong

They look fierce, but seem really chill? They're nocturnal so maybe they're sleepy. They also smell funny! People describe it like popcorn?

Timelapse, I barely had a plan. I redid a lot of things 😵‍💫 I felt he looked sad with just the white bg

Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica), family Viverridae, order Carnivora, Sri Lanka

African Civet (Civettictis civetta), family Viverridae, South Africa